Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report

In The News

PBS NewsHour: The End Of AIDS: Far From Over
“The tools exist. HIV/AIDS can be treated and contained. But in many communities, social, political and economic obstacles get in the way. There, the epidemic is far from over.” The series will examine HIV/AIDS in Russia, Nigeria, and the U.S. state of Florida (Brangham/Kane/Cohen, 6/11).

PBS NewsHour: AIDS deaths surge in Russia as global health officials say, ‘They did it all wrong’
“Central Asia and Eastern Europe have the world’s fastest growing HIV epidemic, and Russia accounts for more than 80 percent of those infections. As at-risk groups like injection drug users are stigmatized and ignored, health officials say the death toll will soon top 30,000 lives per year. William Brangham reports in the first of the NewsHour series, ‘The End of AIDS: Far from Over’…” (Brangham/Kane, 6/11).

Science: Russia’s HIV/AIDS epidemic is getting worse, not better
“… ‘This is a very large and very serious epidemic, and certainly one of the few epidemics in the world that continues to get worse rather than get better,’ says Vinay Saldanha, the Moscow-based regional director for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. ‘This is a public health crisis.’ … [However, b]old, committed HIV/AIDS advocates in Russia are pushing hard for change — and a few places in the country show signs, albeit modest, of mounting effective responses…” (Cohen, 6/11).

Science: In the face of a misguided response to HIV/AIDS in Russia, these bright stars are taking charge
This article profiles several Russians working in HIV prevention and treatment, or breaking down stigma and discrimination (Cohen, 6/11).

Devex: Q&A: How Rwanda focused PEPFAR funds on ‘people-centric, not disease-centric’ care
“When the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funds first arrived in Rwanda in 2004, the country had many people with little access to treatment. But the way the government used the funds has created a lasting legacy for its health system, in part due to the work of Agnes Binagwaho. Binagwaho, now vice chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity and former Rwanda minister of health, is a strong advocate for countries using donor funds to further their country plans. … As PEPFAR marks its 15th anniversary, Devex spoke with Binagwaho about the program, its impacts in Rwanda, and what’s needed both in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to improve health systems…” (Saldinger, 6/11).

Al Jazeera: Health crisis in Yemen’s port city goes from bad to worse
“The United Nations says a quarter of a million people in Yemen are in extreme danger as Saudi-led coalition forces prepare to take the port city of Hudaida. The U.N. says Hudaida has the largest number of sick people in Yemen with more than 70 percent of its population, especially children, at risk of malnutrition…” (Chaderjian, 6/11).

The Hill: Lawmakers circulate ‘urgent call’ for Mattis to prevent ‘catastrophic’ Yemen offensive
“A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is circulating a letter calling for Defense Secretary James Mattis to help prevent a ‘catastrophic’ military operation on a key port in Yemen. … The letter comes after the United Nations and humanitarian groups reported over the weekend that they were warned by the United Arab Emirates to evacuate the Yemeni port city of Hodeida by Tuesday…” (Kheel, 6/11).

Washington Post: Five reasons the crisis in Yemen matters
“…1. Most of Yemen’s population is on the brink of famine … 2. A proxy war is raging … 3. Yemen has been a breeding ground for terrorism … 4. Yemen is uniquely positioned within the global economy … 5. Humanitarian aid is barely keeping the country afloat…” (Sipress et al., 6/8).

Xinhua News: Int’l medical team suspends operation in northern Yemen after airstrike
“Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it has ‘temporarily’ suspended operations in northern Yemen after an airstrike on Monday hit a cholera treatment center it runs in a rebel-held district…” (6/12).

Devex: Paraguay is officially malaria free
“On Monday, the World Health Organization certified Paraguay as malaria free. Paraguay, which has had no reported cases of indigenous malaria since 2012, is the first country in the Americas to be granted this status in 45 years…” (Cheney, 6/11).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Paraguay declared malaria free amid concerns the disease rising again
“…While significant progress has been made over the past 20 years in reducing malaria cases and deaths, in 2016, for the first time in a decade, the number of malaria cases rose and in some areas there was a resurgence, the WHO said…” (Taylor, 6/11).

U.N. News: Paraguay’s elimination of malaria ‘shows what is possible’ — U.N. health agency
“…[World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus] urged continued vigilance against the disease, noting that success in Paraguay ‘shows what is possible.’ ‘It gives us hope that if malaria can be eliminated in one country, it can be eliminated in all countries’…” (6/11).

CIDRAP News: DRC notes 14 more suspected Ebola cases, new death
“…Peter Salama, MD, the WHO’s deputy director general of emergency response, said on Twitter [Monday] that, of the new suspected cases, three are from Jun 9 and 11 are from Jun 8. Samples from 12 earlier suspected patients were negative for Ebola virus, putting the overall outbreak total at 66, including 38 confirmed cases, 14 probable infections, and 14 suspected illnesses. He said the death occurred in a known confirmed case, which nudges the fatality total to 28…” (Schnirring, 6/11).

Nature: Speedy Ebola tests help contain Africa’s latest outbreak
“Health workers fighting the Ebola epidemic that swept West Africa several years ago waited days, even a week, for the results of laboratory tests to detect the deadly virus. But in an Ebola outbreak that began in early April in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), this waiting time has shrunk to hours — thanks to a genetic test that was developed in response to the 2014-2016 West African epidemic…” (Butler, 6/11).

CNN: Polio re-emerges in Venezuela nearly 30 years after eradication
“A child has been diagnosed with polio in Venezuela, where the infectious viral disease has been eradicated since 1989, according to the Pan American Health Organization, a regional apparatus of the World Health Organization. The Western Hemisphere has been certified polio-free since 1994. The diagnosis comes as Venezuela, with an estimated population of 31.3 million, experiences political and economic turmoil, resulting in a humanitarian and health care crisis. … The Venezuelan child with polio is two years and 10 months old and first experienced paralysis on April 29, according to the PAHO statement…” (Pozzebon/Scutti, 6/11).

VOA News: Vaccines Make Major Dent in Child Deaths from Pneumonia, Meningitis
“[Two childhood vaccines] have saved 1.45 million children’s lives this century, according to a new study. … The bacteria targeted by the shots, Haemophilus influenzae type b (known as Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), are major causes of pneumonia and also cause meningitis. … [Researchers] found deaths from Hib fell by 90 percent in 2015, saving an estimated 1.2 million lives since 2000. Pneumococcus deaths fell by just over half, accounting for approximately 250,000 lives saved. The research appears in the journal The Lancet Global Health…” (Baragona, 6/11).

Devex: Q&A: Unitaid looks to break down silos for better global health
“The global health community is increasingly moving away from a siloed approach — favored in the height of the battle against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria — toward a more integrated methodology in the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals. Unitaid … is one of the actors leading this paradigm shift alongside innovators from the private sector, governments, and donors. … Sanne Fournier-Wendes, senior adviser to Unitaid’s executive director, explained to Devex how the organization is engaging with the private sector to push forward an integrated approach to global health; what their strategies are to help vital innovations overcome market barriers; and why public-private partnerships are set to play a crucial role in the global health response going forward…” (Pallares, 6/11).

Editorials and Opinions

The Hill: By reversing course on Ebola funding, Trump brings compromise
K. Riva Levinson, president and CEO of KRL International LLC

“…[T]his Ebola sequel, fortunately, does not have the predictable no-Washington-political-compromise ending. … [O]n June 5th, the White House reversed course, and restored the $252 million leftover [emergency Ebola] funding [that President Trump had requested be rescinded]. … There were many lessons learned from the initial mishandling of the deadly 2014 Ebola outbreak, among them, that the best offense in protecting U.S. and global health security is the rapid mobilization of resources to ground-zero. This requires early warning systems, standby assets and personnel, on-going technical assistance to source countries, and close international coordination. And there are some important take-aways four years later in the recovery of the 2018 Ebola contingency fund, including that institutions can self-correct, even if our politicians cannot” (6/11).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: We have told G7 Leaders to Make Gender Inequality and Patriarchy History
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, U.N. under-secretary general and executive director of U.N. Women, and Michael Kaufman, co-founder of White Ribbon Campaign and senior fellow at Promundo institute

“…We have told leaders that they must use this unique footprint for the benefit of women and girls. … As a foundation, it is critical to eliminate discriminatory legislation which persists in G7 countries and around the world. … We welcome the announcement by Canada, the European Union, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the World Bank of an investment of nearly U.S.$3 billion for girls’ education, including the single largest investment in education for women and girls in crisis and conflict situations. This is a significant step forward to build a foundation for greater progress. … But greater leadership is required. A strong commitment by G7 leaders to take this agenda forward beyond the [G7] Summit can push forward the most dramatic and far-reaching revolution in human history. The one that will make gender inequality history” (6/11).

“Recent news reports suggest that the Chinese Communist Party is considering abandoning one of its longest-running and most abusive practices: its reproduction planning policy, commonly known as the one-child policy. … Returning reproductive rights to the people, however, does not exempt the Communist Party from responsibility for decades of trauma and murder committed under the euphemistic rubric of population planning. … In the United States, China’s one-child policy has remained out of bounds for bipartisan action because it seems to touch on one of the hot-button issues of America’s left-right divide: abortion. Yet I would ask Americans on all sides to put aside their own debates and look at the realities of China. … I urge the American government to use the tools at its disposal — such as the Global Magnitsky Act — to hold Communist Party leaders accountable and to take a stand for human rights for all” (6/11).

From the Global Health Policy Community

Center for Global Development: U.S. Aid to Fragile States: Where Does the Money Go?
Drew D’Alelio, research assistant for the U.S. Development Policy Initiative at CGD, discusses “the current landscape of U.S. foreign aid to fragile states and gives an overview of where the money is going, what agencies are involved, and for what purpose(s) the money is given” (6/11).

Center for Global Development: Global Health Development Value Frameworks: Are We Calculating Well and Wisely?
Alec Morton, professor at the University of Strathclyde Glasgow, and Kalipso Chalkidou, director of global health policy and senior fellow at CGD, discuss the role of global health development value frameworks as tools for supporting policy and investment decisions. They write, “The design of these frameworks suggests that they are developed with good intentions, but without adequate learning from the economic and decision science literatures about the principles that underpin sound value framework design, and without adequate empirical and conceptual piloting and testing” (6/11).

PLOS Blogs’ “Global Health”: What does progress look like in global health?
Sridhar Venkatapuram, lecturer in global health and philosophy at King’s College London and founding director of the MSc in global health and social justice, examines the question, “what does progress look like in global health?” and highlights differing views on the meaning of progress (6/11).

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s “VOICES”: Paraguay Eliminates Malaria, Sets Example for the Region
Carlos Ignacio Morínigo Aguilera, Paraguay’s minister of health, discusses the nation’s elimination of malaria, writing, “[Paraguay] serves as an example for its neighboring countries. The integrated management model, which involves all actors in the health sector and all affected communities, could be applied more widely in the Americas to combat other diseases” (6/11).

From the Kaiser Family Foundation

Kaiser Family Foundation: The latest Ebola outbreak: what has changed in the international and U.S. response since 2014?
In this updated Kaiser Family Foundation brief, Josh Michaud, associate director for global health policy, and Jen Kates, vice president and director of global health & HIV policy, examine key differences and changes in the Ebola response since 2014 that are shaping how the U.S. and international community are responding in the DRC (6/6).

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The Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report is a free daily publication of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit organization focused on health policy issues.

The Daily Report provides summaries of and links to the latest news and information on global health policy, with a focus on U.S. global health policy and developments with potential implications for the U.S. global health response. Any views and opinions expressed in the summaries are those of the original authors or publications.